outrage over hhgregg advertisement brutalizing song"Help"

Beatles fans please unite.If you haven't heard it--you're in for a shock.The appliance store hh Gregg is using the song "Help" in one of it's latest ads--It is Horrific!Poor taste only scratches the surface--I was so angry that I immediately e-mailed the company.I love the Beatles and wish to spread the joy they have given me for 47 years,but this is akin to blasphemy to me.When you hear it,you will agree.Please--Beatle fans here--call or write or e-mail asking them to stop it NOW!--thanks,Dan

If HH Gregg has legally obtained the rights to use the song, I'm quite sure they paid a VERY large sum of money. I doubt they would respond to any effort to stop using the song. It would be a waste of their money. In the unlikely event they have not obtained proper rights, then I would anticipate a cease and desist order and probable lawsuit against HH Greeg, their advertising agency and the music company that produced the soundtrack. I agree, it's quite unpleasant. By the way, I've composed commercial music for decades and am always discouraged at the misuse of popular songs for this purpose. Cheers, Chris

The heck with asking them to stop, buy your appliances elsewhere. Posting won't hurt them but avoiding their store will hit them right in the accounts receivable and they don't like that. H H Gregg has problems already so slam them with indifference, there are too many alternatives to shopping there and I won't set foot in the place. You knew as soon as the Jackson Family had control of those songs The Beatles would be used to sell everything from phones "All Together Now" to anything else they can use those songs for# As long as they have control the songs will be used any way they like# Don't shop at HH Gregg, simple as that# Companies will stop using the songs and the problem will end#

Just to let everyone know, I work at HHGregg, and we DID pay for the rights to use the song... It goes along with the new ad campaign. They are trying to get rid of the notion that we are a discount store, and that we will actually HELP you. Why would a song dissuade you from shopping there? We have the best associates, and the best prices. Shop somewhere else and you are doing yourself a disservice.

Let's hear it for Lowes!!!!! Home Depot!!!!!! Sears!!!!!! Anywhere but HHGregg and their cute little rolled up newspaper, bet that fantsatic ad campaign cost the idiots a fortune. Glad they closed the one here. As I said there are too many other places to shop.

you just don't get it---this is somebodys art,not your commerce.It is not about who paid for what;We are not questioning the legality of it,merely the poor taste and insult to John Lennons memory.Paul & Ringo are still with us.I'm sure if you asked their opinions you would get an ear-full.They don't need the money and we Beatle fans do not need your version of "Help" or your store.

Because your company has taken a song that is about desperation someone feels being overwhelmed by life and cheapened it to being about buying a big screen tv. Many people identify with this songs and the Beatles and have taken the message to heart. Your corporation has cheapened the message.

Yea - though I walk through the shadow of the valley of death. I shall fear no evil. Thy Coke and McRib sandwich comfort me. (See how it works...)

I did that yesterday. I went to their web site to find a link to their Commercials/Ads and went to it. There were something like 15 addresses available, and I sent the same email to each. I told them that it shows and Incredible Lack of Taste and Common Sense, and that I would no longer buy from them. I received an email this morning from one, a single line that read: "Is this a serious email?", to which I replied a single line of my own: "You betcher ass."

For everyone that is SO CONCERNED with an "AD" you are just as bad as you're claiming HHGREGG is WITH the Ad. I have been with hhgregg and have been for years. We are more committed to "helping" the customer than any of the companies listed, and if you will let a simple marketing campaign persuade you to attempt to get "help" from a $7 an hour highschooler at Sears, Lowes, etc., who doesn't have any training or knowledge of the product their managers told them to push on you in any given day, then you deserve the "help" you get. I think it is is obvious that hearts were not meant to be broken when the advertising company chose to use such a great song. On a side note, we use one of the largest marketing companies in the nation and rights were obtained. I do hope your best interst is at heart when you shop as IT IS TO US TOO and you're not just focused on a silly commercial or advertising campaign.

Nicely done, Cody. You have validated everyone's complaints. Way to bastardize something very important to your customers, then insult and alienate them! Some things are more important to people than appliances. Your post proves that some businesses And Their Employees are too stupid to see The Obvious.

Kara, you just sent me a personal email response which reads--and I quote: "And this is why we have a "block" feature for email addresses"Your inflated, half-wit condescension for people who work at companies You Don't Work For, as well as your invitation to customers to shop elsewhere reflects a rather myopic view of reality.You're crazy if you think we believe that your company bastardizes The Beatles because of your "pure love for" them.Some people respect art. Others sell dishwashers.Are you Proud that your Creative Team isn't sharp enough to Create Something Original for your company? Are you Proud that your company paid millions of dollars to insult your target market?You cannot successfully defend this, so stop continuing to insult your customers.I hope your best interest is at heart when you appreciate someone's art, and then become angry when it is turned into "a silly commercial or advertising campaign."

Kara,You just DO NOT get it.This song was a personal expression of somebody's feelings.It is one of the GREAT Lennon/Beatles' songs.hh gregg is using a hackneyed/3rd rate version to SELL something.We Beatles fans & fans of great art & music do not appreciate & will NOT tollerate this abuse.We will speak with our wallets & never buy anything ever from your stores.See what your "silly commercial" does for your company.Yep--just wait & see!

Scott, you and I both know that I blocked your emails because of the cursing that you were sending. I did not block your email until the final one. I aplogize if I offended you by doing so but if you'd like a response please send mass emails to the marketing devision not managers of the Commercial sales division (meaning commercial builders, not commercial media) who don't make these decisions. I don't speak condescendingly of any other companies or employees. I only speak from my and my fellow associates' past experiences of working and managing at other retailers. I have only stated facts. There is nothing condescending with the fact that people get paid hourly. If you look down on people that make hourly wages and think that is condescending I am not to blame. It is also not condescending that we try to go the extra mile for our customers by completing training courses on all of our products so that we can make sure the product you take home fits exactly what you need. If you look down on that then I'm sorry. HHGREGG started as a family company since 1955 in Indiana, and were still family owned when I started working for them. They are the best company as an employee I and many others have ever worked for in this industry. Yes they now are public; and yes they have a marketing company that makes decisions for them on advertising; but again, this doesn't affect the man or woman working in the store that has trained for hours on end to help you with your purchase when you are ready to buy a TV or a refrigerator. THAT is the message I'm trying to get across. Not that the Beatles did or didnt have a great song (and yes I agree, I love the Beatles and I don't like the ad either). But for goodness sake, who in their right mind EVER enjoys a commercial anyway?

Kara: If "you betcher ass" is cursing, and it outraged you to the point of blocking free and Legal communications with employees of your company, then imagine the outrage the commercial causes people across the country. If you cannot, please note that exactly 100% of the posts on this particular thread are against your company using the song--except for the two people who support it, who Just Happen To Be Employees of the Company.To answer the question as to whether or not Something Else might be wrong with your company, I can only look to your posts here.Lots of--as you write: "$7 an hour highschooler at Sears, Lowes, etc., who doesn't have any training or knowledge of the product their managers told them to push" are more than able to assist customers, so Yes, Kara--you Do speak condescendingly about other companies (or) employers.This is not surprising. It reflects your taste for your company's Kool-Aid, and its taste in advertising.Actually, since it is now late Tuesday afternoon (Eastern), and I sent the emails to your fellow employees on Saturday, I was expecting to hear from at least One of the 15 or so I contacted. I was not aware that you blocked my email from Everyone.

Don't you think that it would be best for the people of your company to come to terms with the issue themselves? Would it not be better for them, your entire company and ultimately You Personally, to understand and address the fact that the commercial has made a lot of people angry?

Scott, what a hairbrained idea that I personally could block your email from getting to EVERYBODY out there in the world. I blocked you specifically from being able to email me and yes I personally was offended by your vulgar comments. Also, as I specified earler, genius, "Commercial Division" means Commercial sales to builders and contractors. YOU are looking for the word "Marketing". Better luck in your future endevors to save the world from poor advertising as I stated before that I agreed with you on.... if you would read more closely and not be so quick to jump to conclusions. Oh and on the other comments, as I stated before, I only speak from experience on the lack of training provided as I WAS one of those other employees and was also one of the managers being told to push certain products on a daily basis at another point in my life.

Kara; "You betcher ass" is a Vulgar Comment? You pluralized "comment" to suggest I said something else. What could it have been? I've saved the emails to you and to them. Point anything "vulgar" out in my email to them. You can't do it, because all I did was address your company's poor taste, and You Know It.But if you believe that "you betcher ass" is "vulgar," then there isn't much anyone can do, other than shrug, wish you the best, and buy dishwashers and turntables (for $99.99? Seriously?) from a company that isn't featured on countless Consumer Complaints sites, such as: http://hhgregg.pissedconsumer.com/ or http://www.consumeraffairs.com/retail/hh_gregg.htmlor perhaps consider why your company shows up with thousands of complaints lodged with various Better Business Bureau offices throughout the country.Perhaps we simply have different values. You think "you betcher ass" is vulgar, and I think attempting to weakly defend a company's apparent policy of making people angry is vulgar.I appreciate you explaining about your commercial division. Apparently, you believe they are just as helpless as you admit yourself to be, when your company alienates customers. They shouldn't be bothered by something completely out of their control, like How Their Company Represents Them As Individuals. After all--you middle-management types know you can only achieve medium levels of success. Perhaps it is best to protect them from these terrible truths.Sorry you had bad experiences with other companies. Perhaps you haven't entirely grasped your current situation.I like how you allude that I thought you blocked my email from "EVERYBODY out there in the world." Apparently, you genuinely believe that others who have actually posted here can somehow actually Not Read.So let's get real. Your company blew it by dealing with an ad company that blew it.There is no way that You Or They can defend it.Sell your stock and send out resumes immediately, because you have a lot of energy--and you might be able to go far, if you surround yourself with GOOD people who are serious about GOOD customer relations.You're welcome.

I guess my last post to this thread was turned into Amazon as abuse since no one here likes being called out on what they think they know. Ill put it more mildly this time. I dont think this group is uneducated in general, just about this issue overall. You guys are like little people trying to kick at the toes of a massive giant. Do you honestly draw this line in the sand with everyone who uses the Beatles as a background for marketing or personal gain? Have you also run a slandering/smear campaign against Ford, Nike, Apple, WWE, etc?? No you havent.. Do you still go to movies and support the motion picture industry who has bastardized the Beatles songs and likenesses more than any other segment of business in the world (kids shows and movies are the worst with what they do)? Do you own any single Sony product or sony produced music? Ya I really doubt you honestly make a stand against anything worthwhile nor are the people in this thread educated enough about the Beatles in their entirety to truly make assessments about how or why companies like hhgregg gain access and full privileges to use the music. If its not hhgregg then its going to be another company and will continue to be used throughout the rest of all our lives.

If you really want to make a difference then discuss the company who is making a fortune off selling the rights to the Beatles music. They will sell it to anyone they can get the most amount of money from and there is nothing anyone can do about it. Your personal attack on hhgregg is falling on deaf ears as it looks like the campaign is working strongly in their favor as sales have grown substantially since running it based on data from multiple finance websites. I admire anyone who takes a stand for what they believe in but this attack or sorry attempt at a boycott on hhgregg is unwarranted and makes you guys come off as uneducated extremist. You should try and tackle the problem from the head, not the feet. You might get farther in life that way!You're Welcome

I certainly didn't turn your post in, because I am not into censorship like Kara.Besides, I thought it was pretty cute.Not clear on why you are so against expression. You're pretty expressive, yourself. We're not "slanderous." You, however, WERE slanderous in your fine post that Amazon deleted.But you're clearly missing the point of this entire thread, which was to point out that the company is angering many Of Their Own Target Market by using something that is dear to a lot of people to push appliances. As to the future of this company, check out this link to Marketwatch.com.http://www.marketwatch.com/investing/stock/HGGCheck out the chart by clicking the green numbers below it. Not Everyone's stock is so low these days.

Im not against expression in anyway. In fact Im sticking up for expression by not being offended by the use of a song or band that I like within a commercial, even if I dont agree with the use. I love the Beatles as well. I just dont understand the aggression geared toward just one company who has used a small piece of one song. Bottom line is that its just a commercial. Im confident that hhgregg's (or others) advertising company did not set out on the intent to offend anyone however with every decision a large corp makes, they will have some backlash by some extremist individual or small group. I guess I just dont understand why anyone would chose such a random trinket out of a commercial to try and cause a stir. I see stuff like this all the time and its just lame and silly- like when Best Buy used Taylor Swift for an ad and everyone who hates country music or Taylor Swift decided they wouldnt shop there anymore and demanded she be removed from their ad campaign. Are peoples lives that boring that they have to prove some sort of self worth by doing childish things then try and gain self recognition by posting it onto a website thread?

Im not against you Scott I just think that the members who have posted in this thread seem to be attacking the wrong cause. HHgregg is nothing more than a retail company who will do advertising under the advisement of their 3rd party marketing company. I would have understood if the thread was about just not liking the commercial but to ask for a unification and a boycott of hhgregg for their legal use of a Beatles song is wrong. Boycott the owners of the publishing rights to the Beatles Catalogue!

As far as your web links to negative hhgregg information and pissed consumers, find me any large retail company who doesnt have this info about them online. I can post up a ton about every retail company you mention. And the market watch is a joke. That is also very biased and only one article/opinion on the strength of a company. I can post up several articles stating to the strength and growth rate of the company as well (and most companies since the writer is generally biased). I am a very successful business professional and I study the stocks and trends. I have yet to buy hhgregg stock however I keep a close eye on it as they move to becoming fully national company. If I was you, I would invest a little bit in HGG within the next 3 years..

Stock market charts are no joke.How much sense does it make for you to suggest that customers "boycott the owners of the publishing rights to the Beatles Catalogue" rather then the company who might benefit from what they have done?Any comparisons with this particular issue with any other issue is ludicrous. Your Taylor Swift comparison is embarrassingly awkward--you're really reaching, there.I am surprised that you refer to us as "extremist." Is expressing oneself on an Amazon thread "extremist?" If it is, then you are an extremist. See how little sense you make?

When you write: "And the market watch is a joke. That is also very biased and only one article/opinion on the strength of a company. I can post up several articles stating to the strength and growth rate of the company as well (and most companies since the writer is generally biased)."--Remember that I asked you to check out The Chart--The Chart is Not Biased and it is Not Opinionated.

Articles ARE biased, Including the ones You Read. You just blew the whistle on yourself.

I am pleased that you are "a very successful business professional." Naturally, I do not believe you, because you go on to say that you study stocks and trends--while saying that Stock Charts at Marketwatch.com are biased.Right.And you think that the articles who mention anything about the company's success are True, while stock values Prove You to be Wrong.

You have really cleaned it up since your original post, though--the one referring to Ron Jeremy and my mother, calling me names and insulting other customers who have contributed to this thread. I appreciate that.I have saved that post as well.